Lament of Darkness
by Crimson Bttrfly
Summary: Shortly after the attack on Hellsing manor, a very strange enemy appears – one who may have ties to Alucard’s past. Vampires! Romania! Alice in Wonderland references! Oh, my!
1. Prologue

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Hellsing and all that jazz...

**Summary**: Shortly after the attack on Hellsing manor, a very strange enemy appears – one who may have a link to Alucard's past.

**Rating: **T

**A/N**: Reposting old stories from an old account.

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**Lament of Darkness**

Prologue

"However did you manage to injure yourself?" Alucard asked inquisitively.

Favoring her right leg, Integra limped sluggishly across the room. She was placing a good deal of her weight upon the slender brown cane gripped in her right hand. She sharply narrowed her eyes once she saw the expression of sadistic pleasure carving its way onto his pale face.

"It is none of your concern," Integra growled miserably. Alucard could see that his question had upset her visibly, and he gave a smile of satisfaction.

"She injured her leg while riding in the company of Her Royal Highness," Walter intervened nonchalantly, placing a silver platter, which held refreshments, upon a small, wooden, coffee table.

"Walter!" she spat. With as much speed as she could muster, she whirled around, bearing her weight down on her good leg. Upon hearing his name, the butler glanced up with an innocent gleam in his eye.

"Riding? I assume – I hope -- you were 'riding' atop of a horse," Alucard began, a chuckle growing from the back of his throat.

She knew his toying with her would not end there; this was merely the beginning. It was a ritual, a dance if you will-- every night that the two shared together they had a verbal 'tango'. Alucard usually initiated this proverbial waltz which would escalate into a psychological quarrel between the two. Immediately after the vampire's initial chuckle, she narrowed her eyes at the butler as if to declare him a 'traitor.'

"Of course I was riding on a horse, you insolent fool!" Her words were thick with venom.

At this confirmation his chuckles grew more audible. "What madness drove you to horseback riding, Invalid?"

Her jaw tightened at his question, which was seething in a heavy sarcasm. Integra knew that he was already aware of the fact that she would not impose herself upon anyone to go riding, especially the Queen. Personally she had hated the sport, even when she was forced to partake in those dreaded lessons as a girl. Her father thought it suitable for an aristocrat, such as herself, to be able to ride. When he was younger he had taken part in polo, fox hunting, and the sort, and thought it appropriate for her to at least know how to mount a horse. Integra, however, was horrible for the most part. She was far too stiff in the saddle and terror stricken at being made to sit upon and to control such a large animal. It was a very intimidating and nerve racking experience. Out of all the lessons she was made to participate in, horseback riding was the worst. Her instructor also found her skill, or lack thereof, madding. He tried everything to get her to relax, but she just could not overcome her fear of falling. The lessons, much to her satisfaction and the satisfaction of the instructor, were canceled once she had taken her first spill to the ground. The fall had reduced Integra to tears at being made to look like a incompetent fool doing something that she hated so much. Afterwards, her father withdrew her and he never made mentioned of it again. But, once she had been given a formal invitation by the Queen as a means to discuss the current problems, Integra had no choice but to accept.

"Lady Hellsing had to accept. It would have been rude otherwise," Walter stated dryly as he stood up from his bent position.

"Why the sudden change in personality, Master? Rudeness is your forte." Alucard scowled at the butler's intervention, ruining his fun. But, his taunts had not gone unnoticed. Integra stood with a frown etched into her face as her stare hardened.

"Do you think that I would partake in such a frivolous thing by my own free will?" she asked sourly.

Alucard answered with maniacal laughter. "So exactly, how did you manage to injure yourself?" his question was loaded with a sadistic humor.

Integra was half tempted not to provide him with an answer, but her better (or worse) judgment caused her to acknowledge his inquiry. "I fell off. How else would I have hurt myself?" she answered wryly.

He gave a devious toothy grin, and from that expression alone she knew that the wheels in his demented mind were slowly turning. "There are plenty of ways to injure someone in the saddle."

"Well, let's suppose for a moment that the Queen was _not_ chasing after me with a large pointed object with the want of impaling me," Integra retorted bitterly. Alucard responded with a chuckle.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you fall, m'lady?" Walter inquired.

Integra shot a piercing stare over at the butler and heaved an exasperated sigh, as if but to express her displeasure at having to relate the story verbally. Retelling the instance would cause her to feel like she was reliving the embarrassing event all over again. "The horse ran off," she said with a low stern voice. Upon hearing her answer Alucard could not contain his laughter. She turned sharply, feeling a stab of pain run down her leg, and glared into her servant's contented face. Integra instinctively placed a hand upon her knee once she felt the stiff and bitter hurt of her wounded leg. Every time the sore appendage ached, her mind reverted back to the humiliating instance that was the cause of her injury.

"Tell me that you didn't just come tumbling off once it moved?" Alucard taunted playfully.

"No," she responded with venom. "When that _thing_ ran off to jump the bloody hedge I fell," she replied softly, as an attempt to muffle or distort her response.

"What was that?" Alucard asked, insinuating that he had not heard her clearly. Integra knew perfectly well that he heard her, and his insincerity caused her to clench her hands into fists.

"It is by good graces that you suffered only a minor injury to your knee. It could have been much worse," Walter offered kindly.

"What happened after the fall– other then your loss of pride?" Alucard asked, far too amused for his own sake.

Integra let out a heavy sigh. The fall was humiliating enough, but what happened afterwards was much worse. The pride crushing instance of them all noticing the spectacle and rushing over to see how she was – this was the most mortifying event out of the whole charade. She could not clearly remember the fall itself, for she had tightly shut her eyes when she felt the sensation of losing her equilibrium and ultimately plunging to the ground. Thus, her memory of the tumble was blackened. She had quickly recovered vision after she found herself sprawled out on the green. Integra remember looking up and over at that horrid beast. A big black steed by the name of Cronus, or so she remembered hearing them call him. His nostrils were flaring when he turned to notice his fallen rider. He remained with her, standing only a few yards away, but she could tell that he was laughing. As insane as her interpretation had sounded in her mind, she clearly saw the horse throw its big black head up and taunt her with loud sheiks filled with pride. It repeated this horrible action thrice before nearing her a few steps, and bowing his head down to eat the green grass. While it ate she could sense it looking upon her. His gaze sharp and piercing, which gave her this overwhelming sensation that the steed reminded her of someone...It was not so much the fall that caused her the embarrassment, rather, it was the fact that everyone around had rushed to her aid, the Queen included. And, while the fall was injury enough to her pride, she had hurt her leg in the process as well. Needless to say, the entire experience was utterly wasted. Any attempt at counsel with the Queen had been thwarted by that horrid animal.

Quickly, Integra's attention was diverted from her thoughts as she spotted Walter beginning to move towards the doorway that led out of the room. He turned to excuse himself before exiting. "I am sorry, Sir Integra. I have forgotten all about the tea. If I may say, my age seems to have gotten the best of me. So, if you don't mind-"

"You are excused," Integra answered dryly. Walter edged out of the door, and before turning to leave he gave a slight bow. Her eyes stared blankly at the now empty doorway, but her solitude was immediately broken by her other servant.

"Did it _excite_ you?" he asked coyly.

Perplexed by his vagueness, Integra lowered her brow in question. "What are you going on about?" she snapped, half disgusted by the fact that she was allowing herself to indulge his prattle. She knew good and well that he was baiting her into something. This bait was not even a good one to fall for, yet her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

"Did you enjoy having something that powerful in between your legs, Master?" He asked in a cunning and devious voice. The sides of his mouth curved up into a painfully slow and teasing grin.

Integra was stricken by his use of words in her presence. Her clear blue eyes darken and widened as she stood exasperated. She could not even find the words to describe her immense displeasure with his behavior. Her voice failed her, for the only sound that managed to escape from her gapping mouth was a low aggravated growl.

"I could always teach you how to mount your horse. I am _very_ experienced in the art of riding, Master." His voice was dripping with an ominous intention.

Integra's shock was clearly evident. Her jaw nearly dropped to the floor and her eyes, if possible, widened even more. The young woman was reduced to looking like an inexperienced schoolgirl. She had not the faintest idea of how to combat that as she looked upon him with discontent.

Alucard's eyes and senses were feasting upon her stricken state. He could smell her fragrant blood as it pulsed heavily through her veins. He also took delight in hearing her heart beat frantically at his snide remark. Her reaction to his constant annoyance was what brought him so much pleasure – it excited him. He could easily see the walls of her stoic facade come crashing down once he had pressed her buttons enough to get her riled.

"You degenerate pompous-," she spat in a disheveled manner.

"The first lesson would be on me," he interrupted with a dark throaty voice. His rose colored eyes glaring into her with an animalistic gleam. She could feel her skin heat just by his piercing stare. Her eyes immediately fixated on his. She could feel a foggy cloud begin to veil her thoughts. It was late and her mind was already beginning to dull, but now she could feel her reasoning becoming impaired. His spell to ensnare her was most useful when she was tiered. Integra could feel the shadowy fingers of his entrapment caress her thoughts and put her into a state of ecstasy. She closed her eyes tightly, and began to pull herself away from his eerie lullaby.

_It's a trap. He's up to something and is testing you. Do something other than just stand there!_ Abruptly she cleared the fog from her thoughts, and reopened her eyes upon feeling his spell repel it's grasp from her mind. Integra drew in a sharp breath and quickly spun around balling her left hand into a fist, while her right hand kept an iron tight grip on the cane. Even though her leg throbbed with each heavy step, Integra still managed to 'dramatically' storm out of the area.

"Walter!" she cried, beginning down the corridor. Alucard could hear her voice slowly growing more distant with each call for the butler.

"Yes, m'lady?" the retainer responded.

"Bring my tea up to my room. I am now officially retiring to my bed!"

Alucard could still make out what she was saying despite the fact that she was already out of the corridor. Walter quickly peeked into the room to see Alucard sitting candidly with his ankle upon his knee with a "no-good" smirk etched into his face.

"You look too pleased with yourself," Walter commented.

"I shouldn't be, really," he explained, "it was far _too_ easy."

"Well, at least we finally got her to bed, if nothing else," Walter added with faint satisfaction.

"Indeed...to bed..." Alucard said rather cryptically as Walter stepped back out of the room, and began to prepare Sir Hellsing's tea.


	2. Sabre Dance

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I do not own the rights to Hellsing.

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**-1-**

**Sabre Dance**

The hard metal hilt of a sword was gripped firmly in her hand. Integral sparred with the air, for it was her only opponent in the large empty room. Walter had just stepped out for a moment to check on some matter he deemed noteworthy. Integra was sure he had given a reason when he excused himself, but as for what reason he had provided, she could not rightly remember. He had, however, placed his saber against the wall, signifying that once he returned the lesson would resume.

But, for some unseen reason, Integra found it hard to focus on her lesson. She found that her thoughts would randomly dart to and fro like a whirling dervish. The annoyance of constantly being distracted left Integra bested time and again by her retainer. She also found it puzzling that she could not concentrate on her swordplay, for this was one of her favorite methods of relieving stress while sharpening her reflexes. Integra chastised herself for her inability to control her thoughts, but her lack of focus was not the only problem – she had no motivation to continue with her practice. Integra would parry a few opening maneuvers only to find that her attention had drifted once the necessity called for skill. She was beginning to feel like an empty vessel mindlessly going through the motions. This method was not the wisest choice, considering Walter no longer humored her along like he had done when she was younger. Perhaps her lack of center stemmed from the fact that her leg was still sore, and the thought of work had captured her attention more than once. But, when had she not gone into practice without being deep in thought about work? Perhaps her motivation was lacking due to what had happened at church earlier that morning…

The dreadful memory had crept its way back into her thoughts. Having to endure the onslaught of pleasantries in regards to her injury was pure torture. Integra had decided to go to church with no props to aid her along, so as not to seem conspicuous of physical impediment. Even when she walked she took careful measures at masking any stiffness in her stride. _But to no avail_, she thought to herself. _They all knew_. She had expected as much. It came as no great surprise when they inquired about her fall. Integra was not quite sure what she hated more: the acknowledgment of her blunder the other day, or their insincere condolences. Either way, it was simply dreadful having to stand there with her jaws locked down in a smile, and having to courteously thank them for their brand of 'kindness'.

Integra grimaced at the recollection, and quickly pushed the thought aside. Overwhelmed by a plethora of frustrations, Integra swiftly wielded the sword around, but to her surprise she felt the blade sing in her hands as it slammed into something. She cringed once the impact had sounded a metallic clang throughout the vicinity.

_Strange_, she reflected to herself. She had not noticed Walter entering the room, and had thought herself alone. Instantly, she turned and glanced over at what she had hit, but to her amazement there stood Alucard, sword in hand. He had successfully blocked her strike. Her eyes had briefly widened once she had discovered that she was not alone.

_Well, at least I didn't break anything useful_, she thought silently.

Alucard stood with a wild expression of amusement as he placed more force against his saber and leaned down. There was little distance between their faces, and she could begin to see her warm breath fogging the metal of the blade. She looked into his wild vermillion eyes as they stared manically into her. His action had certainly caught Integra's attention, and now she was officially focused on her swordplay.

Like he had done to many of his victims before, Alucard glared down upon Integra with wild bloodthirsty eyes. The same eyes that had caused grown men to tremble in fear, but not Integra – not _his_ master. Instead of standing afraid of the salvage monster that stood before her; she stood determined to tame him. Yes! Determination flared in her heart and spewed rapidly though her veins like an inferno erupting. Oh! how he loved the scent of her blood boiling! It was simply intoxicating.

Integra returned his expression with disgust at his perverted pleasure. She swiftly slammed her sword against his. The metal met each other with a piercing cry. The more his sadistic madness taunted her, the more she filled with a passionate rage. The type of rage that secured a win at any cost, even in death. She would have no beast reign over her or her humanity. She would find more pride in death-- dying doing the very thing she gave her life to – killing _them_.

Wildly and passionately Integra wielded her sword and each time it was met by his. Feeding off of her strong desire to defeat him, Alucard could feel a scintillating sensation burning deep within him. She turned him on, like no other, and he was ready to push the situation further. He was ready to take full delight in her blood.

Everyone of his attempts at disarming her was met with a steadfast and precise counterattack. Like diamonds caught on fire, Integra's blazing gaze burned into his cold flesh. The more she struggled against his might, the better he liked it. But, his incredible urge to quench his insatiable thirst caused him to grow frustrated at her resistance. He finally decided to take full advantage of her wounded leg. This would ensure that she would make a slip, costing her the precious vitality that flowed through her veins.

He forcefully slammed his blade against hers, causing her to be knocked slightly off kilter. In an attempt to stabilize her faulty footing, she fell back harshly on her sore leg. Her slight loss of equilibrium gave Alucard more than enough time to strike at her. As planned her sword caught his only a few seconds after his sharp blade had already pierced into her flesh.

Integra's blood stained his saber, much to his demented satisfaction. He steadily held her in a sword locked position long enough for his tongue to extent to an unnatural length. His appendage lustfully slithered over the blade to collect the spilled liquid. His eyes glaring wildly into hers, expressing that he savored every last drop of her blood. Then, he proceeded to run his tongue slowly up her blade. Integra clenched her jaw as her body seethed with an uncontrollable violent urge.

Feeling both appalled and violated, she could sense her heart swell with an overwhelming heated furry. Integral let out a madden cry as she slammed forcefully against his sword. Her attacks were quick and sharp and they did not decrease in their animosity.

Alucard released a maniacal laugh as he returned each of her blows with one of his own. Too overcome by outrage, Integra made a fatal error in judgment when she moved to strike again. Alucard quickly noticed his advantage, and with swift proficiency he smacked the blade right out of her hands. Believing he had won, Alucard hesitated for a moment to indulge in his prideful conquest before he moved to ensure victory. Finally motioning to make the finishing maneuver, Alucard was met with a surprise that he had not expected.

To his disbelief he was looking down the barrel of his own gun aimed at him, no less! His eyes widened at discovering Integra had plucked the gun right from underneath his very own nose. Within the time it took for him to recover from his prideful glee, she had successfully aimed the arms at his head. He would have never expected such a feat from the likes of _her_. The guns he carried were far too heavy for any mere mortal to wield effectively.

Yet, Integra stood with a stoic expression carved into her features as she strained, clasping the gun tightly with both hands, to lock her aim. Adrenaline coursed through her body, making the endeavor of lifting the weapon more bearable. She could easily shoot him point blank, for the metal was only a few centimeters from making contact with his cold flesh. Integra showed no sign of the prideful pleasure that had been the cause of Alucard's lapse of judgment. Instead, her cold blank eyes looked upon him devoid of emotion or petty satisfaction -- much like the eyes of a hunter. Much like the hunter that had been the cause of his downfall...Alucard clenched his jaw and grimaced at the distant memory. His eyes narrowed and hardened with displeasure. Integra could tell by his exasperation that she had done well, but her forceful icy stare never relented.

"If you were to try to fire that gun you would break every bone in your pathetic arm, human," he growled in a dark raspy voice.

"Maybe so – but you'd be _dead_." Integra's eerily calm voice grew as sharp and as deadly as a knife.

"Sir Integra," Walter chirped as he began through the door holding a small brown package in his hand. Once he had crossed the threshold he diverted his attention towards the middle of the room. There, to his surprise, stood Integra and Alucard holding their said weapons at the other. Walter's eyes widened at the spectacle. His expression was if to say: 'What in hell _are_ you two doing!' But, he politely ignored the oddity and continued on with what he had to say. "Sir Integra, a package has just been delivered addressed to you. The sender, I am afraid, is unknown, but I did take the proper 'safety' precautions."

Alucard dropped his sword to his side and turned to watch Walter cross the room and hand her the delivery. Integra, still unsure of the vampire's intention, kept the gun fixed at his head, until the burden of it's weight had worn her down. Integra handed the gun to Walter in exchange for the parcel.

She lifted the package up to her face as she examined it. Slowly, she turned the small brown box around to inspect it at all angles. The parcel was devoid of any sign or insignia. She stood vexed at this before deciding to bite the bullet and tear it open. Once she had discarded the brown paper wrapping she discovered a little white box. Integra heaved a small sigh before proceeding to open it. The container held only a standard white envelope.

Integra probed the packet in the same careful fashion that she had done with the package itself. The first thing that she had noticed upon reviewing the envelope was that it felt heavy and bulky. Like there was something more than just a letter inside. Once she thought her inspection thorough enough, Integra ran her finger between the sealed flap and opened the envelope. Strangely enough, the packet slipped from her fingers and the contents spilled to the floor.

All three of them in unison glanced down to see not only a letter scatter upon the floor, but three chess pieces as well. All of the pieces were red pawns. Integra kneeled and picked up the letter along with one of the red pieces. Walter and Alucard had bent down as well, and claimed the other two pawns. Each one of the three stared into their hands at the oddity of their findings.

"What does the letter say, m'lady?" Walter inquired politely so as not to pry.

Integra unfolded the letter and looked upon it with great interest, hoping it would explain who was sending them, of all things, _chess pieces_ . "'The tea party has just begun?'" she stated, perplexed.

In unison all three glanced down at their hands to examine their respected pawn.

"What is the meaning of all of this?" Integra questioned softly to herself.

"I suppose whoever sent this is trying to say that we've been 'pawned'," Walter offered, amused as he glanced over at Integra, who returned his suggestion with a blank stare. "I'll go set up the chess board," he sighed dutifully as he turned to exit the room.

Both Alucard and Integra glanced back down into their gloved hands. "Tonight is a perfect night to play chess. Wouldn't you say, Master?" Alucard quipped sadistically before dispersing into a grainy black mist.


	3. Moonlight Sonata

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I do not own the rights to Hellsing

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-2-

Moonlight Sonata

"Are you afraid, Master?" Alucard questioned, letting his presence be known as he shifted eerily through a wall. He was indulging himself to her unsaid thoughts, and he had just found an interesting conversational piece.

Integral, who sat chin cupped in hand, was pouring over the perplexity of the items delivered to her. She ignored his nonsensical question, for she was already tired and aggravated as it was. But, the longer he stood impetuously waiting for her attention, the more her patience waned.

"Afraid of death?" he continued, elaborating on his previous question. The question in regards to what he had found swirling around in her thoughts.

_So it begins_, she sighed to herself. Integra acknowledge his intrusion with a blank stare. Her expression announced that in no uncertain terms he was wasting her time. And, what little strand of patience she had maintained, had finally snapped like a twig.

"But, is that not what makes us different?" her voice fell upon the room like an icy chill.

Alucard grinned with satisfaction that he had finally managed to get her attention. "That I don't fear death?" He smirked.

"I wouldn't go _that_ far," she corrected strictly. "In fact, I was thinking quite the contrary," she retorted.

Alucard tilted his head so that his orange tinted sunglasses fell slightly down his nose, allowing exposure of his eyes. An 'I-can't-wait-to- hear-this,' expression was clearly painted into his cold features.

Integra noted his expression and continued. "Humans, good men, can defeat a monster because they accept their mortality. Monsters, such as yourself, feed off the humans' weakness – death. But, was it not _your_ own fear of death that drove you to this 'immortality'? You are still existing only to purge your fear by feeding off of those who you deem 'lesser'. You were – are just as afraid of death as the humans you deal it to. Your fear of the sun stems from your fear of the vulnerability daylight brings, which in turn stems from your existing fear of dying. This is why only a man can kill a monster. The human spirit can transcend his fear of death, while your fear has consumed you."

Alucard did not like the direction this conversation had taken. He pushed his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose, and defiantly folded his arms against his chest.

"This is why you think humans low, but yet you continue to live among us," Integra began again. "You take pleasure in our riches. You still long for power – power over humans – power over your master. You demonstrated this much when you turned the police girl. A blond haired, blue eyed, virginal orphan – tell me, Alucard, does this not remind you of someone? Your lust for power over me had perverted your mind into ensnaring – enslaving a version similar to me. However, I am not Seras, and Seras is not me. Did you think me so blind as not to have noticed this? Who is in control now, servant?" Integra finished as she forcefully took to her feet, and slammed her hands against the top of her desk. Her chair flew backwards and crashed into the wall behind it.

Alucard stared coldly in her direction before running his fingers over the brim of his hat and bowed slightly as if he were mocking her. "Good evening, Master," he hissed letting his sharp fangs lap over his pale bottom lip. Abruptly he erupted into sprawling shadows which sunk into the walls and the floor.

--

Later the same night, Walter stood leaned over Seras Victoria's Harkonnen. His attention and skill were focused on cleaning and repairing the weapon. He took great care as he disassembled the piece and examined it thoroughly before proceeding to clean and tune it.

"Where is Master and Sir Integra?" Seras asked politely as she walked into the room. She paused with great interest as she looked onto see precisely what Walter was occupying himself with.

"Sir Integra turned into 'bed', or rather her office, a while ago. Alucard retired to his chambers after spending some time down at the shooting range. He seemed quite miffed, if I do say so myself," Walter replied pleasantly. Seras was pleased to detect that he didn't mind her intrusion.

"Oh," she responded to his answer, while surveying the rather bland white room. Her eyes quickly drew to a small round metal card table, which held a fully loaded chess board. "What is a chess board doing out?" she asked, perplexed.

"We had the most unusual package delivered here today," Walter began, adjusting his monocle to better his view on what he was repairing. "It consisted of a vaguely written note and three red pawns, and there was no sender indicated on the package," he finished turning his eyes to her.

"Well, isn't that strange? What did the letter say?"

"Something about a 'tea party'," Walter answered, emphasizing "tea party". "The letter is over by the chess board if you wish to take a peek. It's quite alright if you do. We had already sent it downstairs to the lab for inspection, but to no avail."

Seras nodded politely and began over to the small card table. Her eyes quickly fell upon the three red pawns. They stood out quite visibly since they were the only red pieces on the board. Seras noticed the folded letter that was placed to the left of the game. She unfolded the paper and examined it. "You're right. It is rather vague. All of it really," she said softly to herself. After she had read the line a few more times; she carefully folded the letter and placed it back in the exact spot where it had been originally.

"Three pawns, huh?" she questioned aloud, leaning her back slightly on the flimsy card table.

"Odd, isn't it?" Walter responded, returning to his work.

"What do you suppose it means?" Seras asked, eyeing the three red pieces.

"I'm not sure if I can offer a valid solution based on those clues alone. Perhaps it has something to do with the old saying, 'bad things always come in threes,'" he shrugged.

"Umm, I think that makes good sense. What do the others think?"

"Sir Integra thinks it was referencing her recent loss of men, the fall of the manor, but she does not quite know what the third pawn would be representing. Alucard had suggested that the enemy might be planning to launch three consecutive attacks."

"Um, those are all good reasons. You think the pawns are in reference to an actual game of chess that they might be playing with the organization, and so far Hellsing has lost three pieces?"

"Very good suggestion, Miss Victoria. But, as of now, it is not safe to say, one way or the other."

Seras sighed. "Well, at least everything seems quite tonight," she offered, trying to sound cheerful despite the fact that her mind was still captivated by the oddity of the clues. Walter noticed her attempt at cheer and gave a small smile.

"How did training go?" he asked, following her lead and moving onto a lighter subject.

"Good, I suppose."

"No more missing the targets, and decimating the civilian stand-ups during practice?" Walter questioned wryly, lifting a brow as he glanced over at her from the corner of his eye.

Seras released a nervous chuckle as she placed a hand behind her head. "No, no. Nothing like that tonight," she answered with an anxious giggle. "Thank God," she added under her breath.

"How is Captain Bernadette?" he asked with a sly fatherly grin.

Seras flustered at the question. Her left brow twitched, and if possible it seemed that her deathly pale skin turned a faint shade of pink. "He's still alive," she forced as she applied a little more of her weight to the edge of the table. As soon as the words had escaped her mouth, the table tipped over scattering the chess pieces into the air, and leaving Seras sprawled out on the floor.

"Alive is preferable -" Walter began, but was quickly interrupted by the commotion of the table collapsing. Immediately, he sprung over to help her up. "Are you alright, Miss Victoria?" Walter asked, concerned as he offered her his hand.

"Yeah," she responded taking his assistance. "Oh gee, I hope no one was going to play," Seras said after returning to her feet. She turned to eye the mess that she had made.

"No. No one was planning on playing," Walter answered politely. The old butler kneeled and began to clean the mess. Seras, who was plagued with guilt, quickly bent down and helped Walter clean the area.

"Have you ever played chess, Miss Victoria?"

"A few times with my dad, but we mostly played cards."

"After this is all picked up, would you care to play cards?"

Seras gave a girlish grin and nodded. "Of course."

Perhaps, if she would have known what Walter was up to, Seras would have reconsidered the offer. Because, the rest of her night was spent playing cards with the merry band of Hellsing soldiers. While, Walter continued on with his endeavors of cleaning and preparing both Seras's and Alucard's weapons.

--

It was far too late at night to be up, but yet Integra could not find the solitude required for sleep. She imagined that it would not be too terribly long before the sun reclaimed her throne from the night, and yet, she found no veil of peace for comfort.

Integra sat on the side of the bed, still dressed in yesterday's wear, sans the jacket. She could not force her thoughts into submission, and she could not concentrate on any of the paperwork she would shove in front of her. Staring ahead, her eyes narrowed to the small black piano that sat positioned next to a wall facing the large glass balcony doors. Reluctantly, and sluggishly, she crossed the room over to the instrument.

She was not sure the cause of the idea that prompted her to sit in front of the piano, but nevertheless she found herself sitting there with her fingers positioned over the keys. Upon looking up to eye the piece of music on the stand, Integra could feel her body spring from its lethargic state.

_Beethoven_, she thought to herself as she began to softly play the instrument. She knew the song well and felt no need pause and check herself. Instead, she lost herself deep into her thoughts. With every frustrated fixation that plagued her, she would release her anxiety onto the piano. Integra was so bent on her own musings that she failed to notice her playing had progressively gotten louder and louder. The notes she was playing no longer resembled the sheet music, instead the music, itself, had grown into a monotonous clanging.

"What in the hell are you doing?" Alucard demanded with venom as he began to morph through a wall as a means to enter her chambers. He appeared aggravated; his eyes glaring upon her with discontent.

"What does it _look_ like I'm doing?" she spat with disdain. Integra looked up at him as if his comment was the stupidest thing that she had ever heard materialize into words.

"Proving that your skills, _or lack thereof_, on that thing can wake up the dead," he retorted.

She sharply narrowed her eyes to signify that she was, in no uncertain terms, most displeased. She found his criticism of her skill and the derogatory remark about the instrument not only offensive but disrespectful as well. "It is not a 'thing.' It is a piano," Integra growled, infuriated.

"No. In skilled hands it is a piano. In yours - it is a torture device," Alucard corrected with a biting air to his voice. "The lament to the night has now turned into something very much akin to the crashing sounds made during a vehicular homicide," he continued. "Crescendoing out of control – entirely forgetting about the diminuendos that enable the power to any climax. Instead, anything meaningful has been utterly lost in this _interpretation. _In other words, my guns exploding have a more appealing sound then your playing," he said forcing her to shift her position to the left as he took a seat beside her. Feeling as if she were but a mere schoolgirl due to his offensive criticism, Integra dropped her hands properly into her lap, heaved a heavy sigh, and stiffened her posture. He positioned his hands over the keys and began to play.

Her eyes followed the motions of his fingers in awe. The piano sang a somber and subtle song under his hands. She noted that he had experience with the piece, for he never faltered to glance up at the sheet music. Instead, his mind was on perfecting what she had made a monstrosity out of.

Integra turned her head slightly to the right as her gaze moved slowly upwards to look upon his face. She felt uneasy about being caught staring at him and encouraging his inane prattle, but what had been an attempt at stealing a glance drew her into the confines of perplexity. She was astonished to see his face displayed an expression of complete concentration. There was even a reflection of contentedness that softened his features in the dim lighting. She furrowed her brows at this rare sight and glanced back down at the piano. The piece was coming to an end, but much to her surprise he continued it from the beginning. This time he moved his left hand away from the keys and glanced over at her. His narrowed eyes sharply suggested that this was her last chance at redeeming her ability ever to play or even glance, for that matter, at the instrument.

Integra did not like the cold look painted on his face, and frowned at the imposition. Seeing as he refused to pause, she reluctantly positioned her fingers over the keys and quickly found the flow of the music. Feeling her heart skip a beat once she hit the first chord she found neither joy nor satisfaction in continuing. She resented the numbing sense of being critiqued on her skill as if she were a mere child, and she began stubbornly to question the madness behind her indulging him. After a few moments of reluctantly trying to pace herself, she could suddenly begin to feel the stiffened anxiety that had once plagued her slowly melt away. She had found a peaceful solitude within the music as her fingers gently rolled over the keys with steady confidence. The stress that had once consumed her thoughts had dissipated. Like the calm before the storm, her mind had cleared. Once the piece had drawn to its conclusion the two glanced over at each other. Alucard quickly revealed that his patented mischievous expression had already crept its way back upon his face.

"Very well, m'lady. At least you have ceased to find pleasure in creating a loud and monotonous butchery of the composition, so the dead can now again rest in peace," he said with a wry devious voice. "But, may I make one other suggestion?" he questioned quite smugly.

She rolled her eyes at the irritant that stood before her. "Why do you even bother to ask?" she endured with a strict 'get-to-the-point- quickly' inflection in her voice.

"Next time you wish to vent your anger out on a piece of music, please chose one of the less deserving pieces," he replied matter-of-factly as his eyes gleamed sadistically.

She returned his playful, yet annoying, exchange with a stern glare and a clenched jaw. He took this as his cue to leave and dissipated into a fine mist, which quickly scattered until the room was left with nothing more than an echo of a satisfied chuckle.

--

Early the next day, Integra was coming down the corridor having just finished her morning routine at the firing range. Having gotten only halfway down the hall, she spotted Walter walking briskly to meet her. She could tell by the look on his face that he had some valuable information to share.

"Sir Hellsing," he said finally breaking the tense silence, "another package has just arrived," he said, pausing just at arm's length away from her. "Follow me to the laboratories," he said anxiously. Integra's eyes grew alert as the two made the long trek down into the labs.

Walter had led her into a sealed room that was only furnished with a long metallic table and twelve metal chairs around it. The table was facing a two way mirror where one could stand and watch autopsies and examinations. On the long table sat a brown paper box, identical to the last one that they had received.

"This package came with the name of the sender," Walter said finally breaking the stillness that had consumed them during their walk to the labs. The two neared closer to the table.

"Who was it?" she asked stoically as she glanced into the parcel.

"Someone claiming to be the 'Mad Hatter'," he finished amused at the reference.

Integra looked upon the items apprehensively as Walter extracted one of the two objects. "This, Miss Hellsing, is a standard deck of playing cards, save for two oddities," Walter began.

"Go on," Integra urged.

"The back of the card, as you see," Walter said emptying the deck of cards into his hands, "have a coat of arms on them," he finished, flipping the back of the cards to face her.

"Whom do they belong to?"

"Oxford," he said suspiciously.

"As in the university?" Integra asked perplexed.

"Oddly enough, yes."

"What is the other oddity?" she asked, forcefully urging him to continue.

"Instead of a queen of hearts there is this," he said, handing her the card.

Integra quickly flipped it over to see that it bore no image, but rather writing. "'Meet on the Lawn for teatime. Bring the dormouse?'" she stated, questionly.

"Then there's this," Walter said extracting the second, and last item from the box. What he handed to Integra was a small silver pocket watch with a rabbit designed into the front. Integra examined the watch before opening it. To her astonishment the watch told the day instead of the time. The hand was filmily set on Saturday, even though the day was clearly Monday. Integra closed the watch, and flipped it over to examine the back of it.

"'M is for murder,'" she read aloud.

"I suppose when the hand hits the M then -"Walter didn't really feel the need to finish the sentence.

"A pocket watch that tells the day rather then the time?" Integra questioned, dumbfounded.

"Indeed, but the watch is two days behind," Walter noted.

"Why am I beginning to feel like Alice in Wonderland?" Integra asked with an exasperated sigh.

"Because, Miss Hellsing, you are," Walter stated dryly.

"Walter."

"Yes, m'lady?"

"I need a cigar."


	4. Staccato

**

* * *

**

I do not own the rights to Hellsing

* * *

Integra stood in a dank archaic chamber room. The area was foraged from an array of pale grey stones, and the vicinity looked far from appeasing. In fact, the room looked down right depressing upon further examination. She glanced around, confused as to where she was rightly. The thought of her dreaming the whole thing up had passed through her head – yet, everything seemed, felt, so _real_.

She glanced down to see she was adorned in a long white dress. Just when the shock of her wearing _that_ had hit her, she felt the warmth of arms wrap around her from behind.

_This is all so odd_, she kept repeating inside of her head. But, yet, she felt comfortable, and warm. She had to admit that she felt contented. It was a strange feeling -- one that she felt guilty enjoying. Quickly, she looked up to see whom it was that was holding her. With this discovery she nearly passed out in shock.

He looked subtly different, she had to admit. His skin was darker and his eyes brown, but it was still _him_.

_Warmth?_ She questioned to herself. _But he is dead. I must – this has to be a dream._ Integra's view instantly fell upon a long slender full-length mirror that stood in front of her. There were two reflections, much to her surprise. One was of him and the other – while the similarities were striking, the woman in the reflection was _not_ her. Integra could feel the same sensations of the strange woman, so much so that she thought she was the one being held, but that clearly was not the case. The woman reflected in the glass was tall, thin, and blonde, but there were differences. Differences in the style and length of hair, differences in facial structure, differences in skin coloring. The woman was obviously _not_ her.

_Alright. So I am clearly dreaming...I hope..._ Integra thought as the vision continued.

Upon her realization that she was not the one in the circumstances, but nevertheless the one experiencing the dream, the surroundings quickly darkened. The grip around her quickly turned into an icy hold – a wanting, a commanding hold. She could sense death swirling around her as she gagged on the stench of blood and rotting corpses. And, the grip around her tightened angrily. He almost smothered her with his cold biting hold.

Integra's vision quickly turned to the man – the man she now knew – Alucard. His eyes were red and his skin a deathly shade of white. Even his presence had changed. No longer was the experience of him holding her pleasurable. It was now intoxicating, sickening even. Although, Integra was not sure if she, herself, was the one experiencing the ill spell, or if it was the woman's whose point-of-view she had taken. Either way, the trauma was very real. Instead of feeling comfortable and warm in his arms, she felt like she was trapped in a steel cage. She experienced the same apprehension and terror that she assumed a wild bird felt once it had been locked in a cage -- barred away from free will or flight. She felt like a servant...

Integra struggled underneath his arms and tried to break free, but her efforts were lost. He seemed to take pleasure in torturing her – in restricting her. She couldn't stand it any longer, until she finally managed to break away. His presence dissipated into a shadowy flame, leaving her alone in the cold chamber.

Integra, or the 'woman', rather, moved to the large stony window that overlooked the sea. It was a clear starry night and the pale radiance that emanated from the moon reflected upon the blackened waves.

Integra felt a sudden drain of hope and energy. This was a feeling that she had hated. It was a weakness. It was worse then weakness. It was an admission to being weak.

She glanced down over the shore and felt a sudden loss of equilibrium. Integra's mind shouted against it. She refused to plunge into the torrid waters. It was against her religion, her morals, her very being. But, she was not in control of this fate, and much like a bird raped of its feathers, she fell. She fell into the pitch black waters. She fell from grace.

**-3-**

**Staccato**

"Our prime suspect is a Matthew Hathers, a former Oxford professor in linguistics. Mr. Hathers was commonly referred to as the 'Mad Hatter' by many of his pupils due to his fondness for wearing derby hats.

"It was once suggested that the term 'mad as a hatter' was coined because many 'hatters' went 'mad' due to their prolonged exposure to mercury, which was used in the process of making the felt hats they wore at the time," Walter stated, amused as he leaned in to pour some tea into a small delicate cup. "This profile should be sufficient," he said, plopping the folder onto her desk.

"I assume prolonged exposure to mercury would have that effect on someone," Integra said dryly. She eyed the manila folder that Walter had put down.

Integra opened the file and looked over the paperwork haphazardly. "And the 'dormouse' reference was in regards to Alucard, correct?"

"Yes, I am most sure of this. You see, a dormouse is a nocturnal animal that was a guest during the tea party as told in Lewis Carroll's _Alice in Wonderland_. The inference perfectly fits our Alucard, minus the whole 'rodent' aspect, of course."

Integra glanced up at Walter. A smug gleam sparkled in her eyes. "_Of course_," she returned slyly. "How are the arrangements proceeding at Oxford?" she asked, glancing back down at the papers strewn across her desk. Integra filed through the documents until she came across the one she was searching for. She held it out with one hand, while her other hand felt for the warm cup of tea.

"It went swimmingly. All we need to do now is brief Miss Victoria on the plans," Walter stated. Integra pressed the steaming cup against her lips. Her eyes peered out over the top of the small delicate container. "She should be down in the conference room by now," Walter said nonchalantly, but Integra got the hint.

"Very well," she said with a sigh. She took another sip of tea before placing the cup down on her desk.

The two made the long silent journey toward the board room. When they entered, Integra was pleased to see that nobody had made it down ahead of them. She quickly moved to take her seat at the head of the long rectangular table, which was bare save for a tin of cigars and an ashtray.

Not a moment had passed before Seras Victoria had opened the door, and stepped into the cold industrial looking room. She appeared a little disheveled as she passed over the threshold. Noticing Integra, she quickly paused in front of the table with her right hand over her brow in a formal salute. Integra narrowed her eyes at the police girl, and gave a small faint smile at the spectacle.

"My orders, Sir Integr- Sir Hellsing," she corrected.

Integra plucked a cigar from the open tin beside her and lit it in a fluid motion. After a puff, she decided to go ahead and give the orders. "Miss Victoria, have you ever wanted to attend an university?"

"Well, I went to a police academy. I assume that could be _like_ an university, but not really, you know? Um, I think it would nice to go and learn – I've always been an advocate for education, but I'm not really sure where you're going with this. Is this some sort of trick question?" she rattled out in thought, dropping her right hand back down to her side.

"Enough," Integra cut off firmly before the girl had another chance to continue. Seras looked up at her with curiosity as to where Integra was going with the university question. "We have 'enrolled' you, if you will, at Oxford University." Upon hearing this Seras could feel her jaw drop and a flood of questions went streaming into her thoughts. "We have received a peculiar invitation to Oxford, if you get my meaning," Integra said, lifting a brow.

"Another delivery?" Seras asked politely.

"Yes. We have made arrangements with the university to send you there under the guise of being a student. Once there you will have access to all of the major areas freely – both you and _your _'father'." Integra stubbed her cigar out in the ashtray.

"My father? He's dead," Seras pointed out with wide eyes.

Integra nearly chocked on the smoke she had just inhaled. She had not meant to sound so uncaring, especially about a late relative. "No, no," she quickly corrected herself. "Your _other_ 'father'," she finished, but Seras just looked at her slightly offended. "Um," Integra began trying to search for the right words, "the Prince of Darkness, No Life King, spokesperson for the mentally certifiable, _him_," her voice grew strict at the last word for she could feel his presence enter the room.

Seras glanced over her shoulder instinctively and saw Alucard shifting through a wall. "Ohh," Seras said a little unamused by the association of him being her 'father'. Thinking back on it, however, she supposed it was a correct analogy considering he was her 'father' of sorts.

"So you want me and the police girl to take a night out on the town?" A grin that could match the Cheshire cat's began to curve his lips.

"You could look at it that way, but it would be in your benefit if you did not," Integra said coldly. She folded her arms on the table and laced her fingers. "When you arrive at the admissions office all you have to do is report in, everything should be prepared accordingly. Then, make for University Parks, this is where we believe that our Mad Hatter awaits. We will have deployed troops throughout the vicinity to make sure that civilian interference is at a minimum. Keep in mind that the science department is the largest facility within proximity to the park. Take extra precautions around this area. Here is a fairly detailed map to guide you through," Integra finished. She made a graceful gesture to the butler, who dutifully placed the map on the table.

"Sir Hellsing, if you don't mind me asking – what is the purpose of registering at all?"

"We assume that the Mad Hatter is awaiting our arrival and might have accomplices. If such is the case, then, it is better to announce our entrance. You two will be heading out tomorrow and should arrive there about dusk. Make sure to keep in contact with the other troops at all times." Integra paused for a moment before continuing, "Do you accept the task appointed?"

"Yes, Sir!" Seras said, saluting again with a wide eyed innocence.

"As always, Master," Alucard stated, bowing mockingly before taking his leave.

"Good."

Seras bowed her head slightly before turning to move towards the door. She gave one final glance back at both Integra and Walter before exiting.

Integra heaved a sigh and glanced over at Walter with a hint of concern swimming in her blue eyes. "This is a trap isn't it, Walter?"

"Most probably, m'lady," he answered dryly.

"Is there anything else that I can do?"

"Such is the question often asked by a leader," he replied.

--

"Sir Integra wasn't kidding when she said 'dusk', was she?" Seras sighed as she adjusted the strap over her shoulder, which was connected to her 'luggage'. She glanced over at Alucard, who, for a change, was dressed in a 'normal' suit, but for some reason the attire looked out of place on him. She shrugged the thought off as the two moved further into the admissions office.

They had caught the attention of the clerk, an elderly gentleman positioned behind a desk. "Oh yes, we have been expecting your arrival for some time now. You must be a _very _special young lady to have bypassed all of the red tape."

Seras gave a weak smile as she narrowed her eyes at the specimen of a man. "You have _no_ idea," she replied.

There was something not quite right about him. In fact, there was something not quite right about the entire setting. Seras wasn't sure what made her feel this way, but she had a sixth sense about these sort of situations._ Perhaps, it's all the training_, she thought quietly to herself.

_Nope. It's because you're a vampire._ Alucard's voice popped into her thoughts. Oh! how she hated when he would do that!

"Now, where do we need to sign?" Alucard asked pointedly.

"Just here. Most of the forms have been taken care of," the elderly man stated handing over a document. Alucard took the sheet, and grasped the golden pen which was chained to the top of the desk.

"Your books have already been sent over and here is your schedule," he said plopping the said materials down on the desk. Seras grimaced at the thought of having to carry all of that around with her on her mission. But, nevertheless she accepted the items and held them with ease. As soon as Alucard had finished signing the document his cell phone began to ring, almost on cue.

"Yes," he answered. "Yes, we are on schedule. Yes, we have made contact with the others. I know when tea time is. Very well, Master." Immediately once the phrase 'master' had passed his lips, the admissions officer glanced up at him with a brow lifted. Alucard gave a sly smile at the man's expression as he flipped the phone off and placed it in his black pant pocket.

"Your wife?" the baffled man asked, vexed at the expression 'master'.

Alucard replied with a wry chuckle. "You know women and their need for power now-a-days," he responded with a devilish grin.

The clerk replied with a nervous laugh. "Of course," he said before quickly turning his attention back to Seras. "Your dorm room number and key are with your schedule along with a map of the campus. If you need any assistance-"

"No, it's quite alright," she said, managing a meek smile before turning to leave the company of the creepy little fellow.

"Hmm, they were very odd," the clerk stated to himself just as he reached for the phone on his desk.

Seras, who was walking behind Alucard, had stepped outside and turned to make sure that the door was closed behind her. Once she had turned back to face him, he had vanished into the sprawling shadows of the waxing nightfall.

"Master?" she called, stepping forward a little further to survey the area.

_It's tea time, police girl. It would be improper to leave our host waiting. You have the map. Follow, lead, or be left behind._ His voice stung in her thoughts as it trailed out of her mind.

Seras heaved a heavy sigh as she glanced down at the massive amount of books being held in her arms. _What am I going to do about these? I can't just leave them on the ground. What if that man is watching?_ she thought to herself. Seras managed to look over the materials and eye the map for a direction to follow, and then proceeded forward, all the while searching for a place to ditch the books.

Meanwhile, Alucard, now dressed in his usual red vestment, slowly traveled through the park. He was savagely amused by having to hunt down his prey. His trained nose could smell the aroma of dried blood and death miles away, and the fragrance was now all too close for comfort. Alucard was stopped by the sounds of maniacal laughter, which quickly subsided with a small whimper. He glanced out ahead to see a tall plump man wearing a thin mustache standing only a few yards ahead of him. This odd fellow, who leaned on a small black cane gripped in his left hand, was dressed in a suit with tails, and adorning his head was an ornate derby hat. The look on the hatter's face was that of pure unadulterated madness. His eyes opened widely and stared out with the coldness of a rabid dog.

"I see I am going to enjoy _this_," Alucard said with a sadistic chuckle. But, the hatter glared at Alucard with a faint expression of disappointment as he curled his finger through his pencil thin mustache.

"And, Miss Alice?" the man hissed in a raspy voice that sounded reminiscent to nails on a chalk board.

"Alice sends her regards," Alucard reached into his coat and withdrew the long silver Casull. With fluidity in his motions the gun was aimed perfectly at the Mad Hatter's head. The hatter returned Alucard's gesture with one of his own, as he slowly took off his hat...


	5. Transfigured Night

**

* * *

**

I do not own the rights to Hellsing

* * *

"Red Hare, this is alpha team, we have encountered a problem in Stanford sect. Over."

"Red Hare, this is Bravo, the courtyard to the sci-department is infested with ghouls. Over."

Seras strained to look over the books in her arms as she crossed the empty street. She was closest to the science department, which was bordering on the park. She attempted to contact Alucard through the link, but to no avail.

_Bloody hell! Of course he would never turn his communicator on during a time of need !_Seras, frustrated by the bulky materials cradled in her arms, finally threw them down. Quickly, she swung the pack attached to her shoulder to the ground, letting it fall heavily against the grass. She kneeled and frantically moved to open the bag. Once, she tore the zipper down, she eyed her prized Harkonnen before ripping the weapon out of the bag, and taking to her feet. Just as she stood, Seras could hear distant shots being fired in the background.

I _suppose Master will do just fine without me, _she thought to herself before moving forward with her mission.

-4-

Transfigured Night

Integra glanced up just as she heard the door to her office swing open. Her eyes fell upon Walter as he crossed the threshold to the room.

"The autopsy report?" she asked dryly.

"They confirm Mr. Hathers was no genuine article," he stated as he placed the file neatly upon her desk. "Cause of death was decapitation...among other things," Walter felt no great need to go into detail, considering Integra had seen or heard it all before.

"The casualty numbers?"

"Surprisingly low. Seras and the troops ran into a few ghouls, but nothing that posed a problem for our men. I'd say we arrived just in the nick of time," Walter stated as he crossed his arms in front of him. "There is one piece of information in the autopsy that should be of great interest," he added cryptically.

Integra shuffled through the report and began scanning the pictures. _Everything seems normal_, she thought halfway through her inspection. But, it was when she came to the last photograph that her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Indeed," Walter stated matter-of-factly as he noted her change in expression. "Alucard should be quite amused by this nod to his lineage."

Integra glanced up at Walter in shock. "He'll be –"

"Director Hellsing! Walter!" Integra was interrupted as an employee came crashing through her office door. "You have to see this! It's all over the news! Exposure from the Americas!"

--

It was horrible. Almost as if a nightmare had crept in from her dreams, and reared its ugly head into the confines of realism. _It is no nightmare,_ she grimaced as she admitted the truth. Integra had been disturbed by this all day. This very instance was the cause of most of her worst nightmares, and she knew it would happen. Every Hellsing lived in fear that this day would finally come to pass. It was just that she had not wanted to be the one that actually had to live through it.

Integra stood staring blankly ahead of her as she cocked her gun, and fired a bullet into the paper target. Her thoughts were not on aiming, they were numb and blank. This is how she liked to keep herself at times, when the gravity of some things were too hard to comprehend all at once. Otherwise, she would find herself so consumed with the troubles plaguing her, she found that she could not function properly, let alone think straight. But, being as blank as a piece of paper would not solve her problems either. Abruptly, she shook herself from her numb state, and focused on what she was doing – shooting.

Integra eyed the target to see that she had made a perfect shot right through the heart of the paper bust. Her eyes instinctively left the target and fell down to the formal letter laying on the cold metal counter beside her. The letter bore the wax seal of the royal family, yet Integra had been hesitant to touch it. She knew what news it carried inside. She knew what orders the Queen had given her. Her knowledge of what was to come made her even more hesitant to unseal the envelope.

_This is foolish, Integra. Not opening the letter will not change your orders, or your fate. So why bother avoiding it?_ She chastised herself for being so delusional, and heaved a heavy sigh. Tiered of firing, Integra pulled the earpieces from her ears, and retracted her arm, which was holding the weapon.

"What are you going to do, Master?" The all-too-familiar sadistic hiss sounded from behind her.

"Perhaps this is not the best time to be toying with me," Integra snapped referring to the gun still firmly gripped in her hand. When she spoke her eyes were still fiercely staring ahead at the target, for she refused to spare Alucard a glance.

"It would be foolish not to speak out on this media feeding frenzy. The frenzy that piqued the public's love affair with the occult and secret government organizations. And, to think _you_ as the prime suspect –"

"Alucard," she cut him off sternly.

"It would be foolish to decline the offer to put these 'accusations' to rest."

"'Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt,'" she replied bitterly.

"Somehow I think that statement was more directed at me then the situation at hand," Alucard said wryly.

Integra responded with a heavy sigh, and reluctantly turned to face him. Alucard eyed the formal envelope sitting on the counter with great interest.

"My hands are bound, and I must go forth with the conference. There is nothing more that I can do now, other then make a formal statement to clarify these 'accusations'."

"You mean you are forced to by this little letter," he said with a toothy grin, picking the envelope up off the counter. Alucard loomed over her as a means to taunt her. Integra returned this act with one of her own as she leaned in closer with a defiant expression carved into her face. He was by no means going to intimidate her.

"Now, I know you did not come down here to console me. So, what is it you want?" Integra asked with an icy cold voice. Alucard forcefully stared harshly into her eyes, and spoke not a word. "Get to the point, Alucard," she snapped.

"Walter said you have something for me," his voice fell upon her like a winter's chill. It was both cold and biting.

Integra gave a small wry smile as she lifted her brow, and reached into her jacket pocket to withdraw a small plastic bag which contained a standard sized Polaroid picture. She held the bag steady between her index finger and middle finger as she brought it up to his face.

Alucard snatched from her in a fell movement, and turned the photo over to expose the image. Integra watched intently to see his expression. And, as expected his features changed. His once smug expression was rapidly painted into a demonic madness. His eyes narrowed violently into a hateful and vengeful rage, and his pale features sharpened into a plotting expression. Integra could tell by the look on his face that he was maliciously plotting the downfall of whomever was responsible for this mockery.

Alucard's wild eyes hardened as he glanced up from the photograph. He crumpled the bag, and discarded it on the floor as he walked past his master. Integra could feel a cold wave of displaced air bite into her flesh as he passed her.

Seras had just stepped into the firing rage as Alucard walked by, and in his wake she cringed at his angered presence. "What is wrong with Master?" she asked perplexed, eyeing Integra.

Integra moved to pick up the small plastic bag, and she handed it to Seras. "What an odd symbol to have for a tattoo," she stated as she examined the image. "But, why would a tattoo of a dragon have upset Master?"

Integra shook her head and stepped past Seras. "It is a long story," she said moving forward.

"Sir Hellsing?" Seras questioned, turning to look back at her.

"It is never good to have an angry vampire in a house full of antiques," Integra muttered sourly under her breath before walking off.

Seras glanced back down at the photograph. She was now more perplexed then before.

--

"What is going on?" Seras asked Walter, who stood preparing the nightly tea. She pulled a chair over to sit on, feeling that she was in for a long story.

"A good bit, I suppose, since you've last been awake. Today has been dreadfully eventful."

"That is never good," Seras replied with eyes wide with interest.

"Indeed!" Walter paused a moment before continuing. "Information regarding Hellsing has been leaked to the public via the foreign presses in the Americas. We assume -- we know this recent leak has to do with the organization producing the FREAK chip."

"How did this happen?"

"We can filter the media coverage in our country, but when it comes to the foreign presses things can get complicated, and with the use of the internet the news has even stained our shores with great interest. I suppose it was evitable. With the enemy knowing where we are, who we are, what we look like, and most importantly it has been them initiating the attacks. They have all the data they need on us. We have blocked their hand as long as we could, but their reach still extends. It was a matter of time before they used the public as a means to attack us, or at least knock us for a loop while they are left to plan their next strike. But, it is all quite suspicious, you see. Now, Sir Integra has to take part in a press conference to debunk the allegations."

"No kidding?" Seras said in disbelief.

"Afraid not."

"So you mean to say that some suit can't just give a statement denying the accusations. I mean, I'm surprised that it is not being ignored entirely."

"That would usually be the case, but our 'friends' are a rather persistent lot. It was agreed upon during the convention of the Twelve that Integra, herself, defend Hellsing," Walter grimaced as he spoke the words aloud. "I don't know how this happened," he sighed softly to himself.

"What is Sir Integra going to say?"

"I suppose she is going to tell the _truth_."

"What – "Seras choked on baited breath.

"The Hellsing Organization receives funding under the guise that it is a manufacturer of weaponry equipment. She will stand firm to this, I am sure."

Seras breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh. Well, that sounds much better."

"It's just," Walter began softly to himself.

"Yes?"

"Something is amiss about this whole situation," he added, shaking his head in disbelief. "I just can't quite put my finger on it, though."

"When is the press meet?" Seras asked.

"Tomorrow night. You should be up, if you want to watch."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she said playfully. But, as soon as the words had passed her lips, Seras's mind narrowed to another thought. Quickly, she leaned forward in her seat and dropped her hands properly into her lap.

"Walter," she began politely.

"Go on, Miss police girl," he urged.

"There was something odd about Master."

"Odder then usual?" Walter asked instinctively.

"Sir Hellsing said it had something to do with the tattoo found on that Mad Hatter fellow."

Walter looked up from his position at preparing the tea. "That would be a very complicated history to describe. The dragon – well," he began trying to find the correct words to use without bombarding Seras with the fine details of the matter. "I suppose you could say they were making a mockery of Alucard's lineage. He didn't take kindly to their, implications."

"Oh," Seras stated softly.

"It was a slight, to say the least. As you know, Alucard is not too terribly fond of those chipped creatures. So, them labeling the frauds with his family emblem is offensive."

"Well, I would say so!" Seras said quickly agreeing.

"Ay," Walter nodded thoughtfully.

"You're still thinking about the press conference, aren't you?"

He responded with a sigh. "It just seems fishy."

--

"I'm surprised to see that she didn't take you along with her," Alucard stated as he crossed into the sitting room.

"I'm surprised to see you up so early," Walter said dryly as he turned the television on.

"You didn't answer my question."

"You didn't ask a question," Walter observed.

"Oh, but I did. It was just in the form of a statement."

"Then that is not a question."

"It is a 'subtle' question."

"So 'subtle' that it didn't quite make the category."

"Why didn't you go along?"

"Sir Integra decided to make for the conference after the meeting of the Twelve at Sir Iron's estate."

"I suppose it will be a long time before they have another meeting here," Seras said, stepping into the room.

"You are probably correct about that, Miss Victoria. Sir Integra did take two armed bodyguards to escort her. I think she thought that I would make her nervous," he said with a sly fatherly grin.

Seras looked at him suspiciously. She rather doubted much could unnerve Integra.

"Did she fight you about taking the sword?" Alucard asked, a smug grin drawing the corners of his mouth upwards.

"As usual. I told her that no one wears a sword anymore, and that it would look simply suspicious with her suit." Walter turned the channel to the appropriate station. The conference was just about to begin.

Seras sat down in a chair and kept her eyes glued to the screen. She was secretly wishing that she could take pleasure in her past ritual of sitting down with a bowl of popcorn, but such was not the case now.

The conference began once Integra took to the podium. Seras looked on with great interest, but quickly turned to take a survey of Alucard's and Walter's faces, but their expressions vexed her. Both had tilted their heads and narrowed their eyes suspiciously.

_What is wrong?_ she thought quietly to herself as she turned to face the television again. This time she tilted her head and squinted her eyes to get an idea at just what they were looking at. But, all she found out was that she had missed the question that was asked.

"Oh come now. You have but to insinuate that it odd for a woman to be a director of such an organization. But, I can assure that women are just as interested – if not more so than men-- in _big guns_," Integra replied.

Seras just about choked when she heard that phrase pass Integra's lips. "What –" She whispered. Alucard glanced over at her vaguely intrigued by the exchange.

"Do you think that the reference to Bram Stoker's van Helsing is what caught the public interest?" a voice in the crowd questioned.

"Yes, I am sure that some overactive imaginations were the cause of this controversy. I assure you that Dracula is just a piece of fiction, and any name relations have nothing to do with this organization."

"But, I imagine if I were a true descendent of van Helsing's line, I would be _in check_ right about now," Integra's eyes narrowed into a hardened stare as she eyed the camera.

Seras turned to glance over at Alucard and Walter, but both stood stoic as they watched the screen. Something was just not right about it.

"Perhaps our recent shipment to Romania is what spurred on the vampire controversy," she continued.

Walter gave a sigh before grabbing a hold of the remote to the television. He was half tempted to turn the box off, but it was not too shortly after he fiddled with the idea that the conference came to a close.

"So, we're 'in check'," Alucard stated rather amused by the reference.

"Indeed," Walter replied.

"What was the first thing that clued you into the fact that the woman speaking was _not_ Integra?" Alucard asked, glancing over at the butler.

"I don't know. Perhaps the speech, the body language, or the fact that her cross pendant was _upside down_."

"Yes, I believe the cross did me in as well," Alucard agreed.

"What is going on?" Seras asked.

"I hear Romania is beautiful this time of year," Alucard said with a sly grin.

"So do I," Walter replied.

Seras's eyes darted back and forth between Walter and Alucard. "Do you mean Integra—"

"Indeed…"


	6. Romanian Dance

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**

I own neither the rights to Hellsing nor any of the characters related to Hellsing.

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-5-

Romanian Dance

Integra awoke in a groggy haze, which thickly blanketed her thoughts. She could feel her body pressed against a cold hard floor. The dampness encompassing the room bitterly penetrated through to her skin, causing her injured knee to cry out in pain. Upon feeling the wound throb, sending shots of pain throughout her entire leg, she instinctively moved to try and comfort the injured appendage, only to find her hands held captured by thick metal shackles behind her back. She tightened her already shut eyelids as soon as the biting sting of the metallic cuffs tore into the soft flesh around her wrists. The raw sensation of the bitter pain shocked her mind into clarity, for the cloudy veil that had once plagued her thoughts quickly began to disperse.

Integra peeled herself from the sticky grimy floor, and pulled her sore body up into a sitting position as she braced her back against a hard stony wall. She opened her eyes to find that a deep dark void had surrounded her, and as soon as her eyes began to adjust to the black sprawling shadows of nightfall, she found that her vision was blurred. Looking out through faltering eyes, Integra could feel her head pound viciously as she tried to sort through the scenery swimming in front of her. She widened her eyes in an attempt to focus them, only to be overtaken by an abrupt wave of nausea churning inside of her stomach. Her sudden ill spell was accompanied by an overwhelming eerie sense of déjà vu. Her heart skipped a beat as she surveyed the area through her distorted vision. The room was the same – the same as the room she had foreseen in her dream a few nights past. There was a window and an old dilapidated bed cast into shadows, and both key items were in the exact same position as she had remembered. The room was exactly the same, as far as she could see, for the thick shadows did consume much of the area in a dark void. Integra felt a chill crawl down her spine at this revelation.

She tightly clenched her eyelids shut and forcefully reopened them in hope that it would clear her vision, but to no avail. Without the aid of her glasses, she was as blind as a bat.

_Blast the misfortune of poor eye sight!_ Integra thought silently to herself as she tried to quell the nausea that was slowly climbing up the back of her throat. She swallowed hard and tightened her neck as she inhaled deeply trying to prevent the urge of vomiting. Once the sickening sensation had passed, Integra decided to check on the condition of her shackled wrists. She immediately clenched her jaw at the pain of moving her bound hands. She wiggled her fingers, feeling that they were absent of gloves. Her digits cracked as she bent them, and she could feel that they were covered with a dry thick substance -- what she assumed was dried blood.

Integra inhaled deeply as she tried once again to quell the illness that was stirring persistently inside of her. Just as she stubbornly began to resist the temptation that her nausea brought, Integra could feel a sudden burst in her body temperature causing her face to heat as well as the rest of her aching body. Just after the abrupt increase in temperature, she felt a drop of sweat drip from her brow and fall into her eye causing a vicious stinging sensation. Her first instinct was to rub her eyes, but as soon as she moved, her hands fell prey to the harsh cuffs that entrapped them.

_How did this happen? _she asked herself, furrowing her brows in thought. Her eyes were slowly panning over the darkened room.

Shadows sprawled and intertwined forming a nightmarish painting on the floor. The only light emitting into the chamber was that of soft moonbeams which scattered across the floor -- dimly illuminating the area around the window in a pale blue radiance. Integra focused blankly ahead at the window as she tried to think back on the events that had led to this. But, as hard as she tried she could recount nothing. She remembered leaving for the conference, but then her mind drew a blank. _Nothing. I can remember nothing. There was supposed to have been a meeting at Sir Irons estate, but –_ _I don't remember attending_. Integra's eyes narrowed in thought. The harder she tried to recall the past, the more she could feel her head pound until she gave in and tightly shut her eyes.

Frustrated and annoyed, Integra tried to fight the metal shackles that tore into her wrists. They proved to be a fierce opponent, for they did not loosen nor break under her struggle. Heaving a sigh, she opened her eyes again, and pulled herself away from the wall where she was sitting. Integra could feel her legs had gone to sleep, and as she moved to stand they stung with the force of a thousand needles.

_This_ _is simply ridiculous! How am I going to get out of this? There has to be some way. Oh, whoever planned this will pay! And, pay dearly!_

A furious cry grew from the back of her throat at the thought. Integra moved lethargically across the floor as she passed into the shadows. She could now, at least, walk without trying to exert too much effort. Only her injured knee throbbed in pain as the dampness of the air sank down upon it. But, even that was beginning to feel numb. Her once ill stricken state was all but conquered, and her once overheated body began to cool. It was just her poor vision and pounding head that still plagued her as she paced around trying to plan a way out of the room. Integra's thoughts were bent on how to free herself from the cuffs.

She glanced back once she heard the scrapping sounds of chains following behind her. _How about that! What nerve to chain me like a dog!_ Integra could not help but to release a slight chuckle at the audacity of her captors. She shook her head in disbelief, and slowly followed the linking chains to see where they led. They led to a wall, cast into a blackened shadow, where the pair of chains were bolted. Integra kneeled down, and inspected the condition of the bolts. They seemed to be relatively new, and she had little to no hope of pulling them out, but nevertheless she had to make an attempt at freedom.

Integra leaned back a little, glancing over her shoulder and feeling for the chain with her hands behind her back. Once she had grasped a firm hold of the heavy metal links she gave a sharp tug, and watched the wall. As expected, her efforts had been in vain, but she made one last try. This time she yanked back with as much strength that she could muster. The chains leading to the wall pulled hard against it but quickly recoiled._ Damn it all to hell!_

She grimaced at the failed attempt, and began to pull herself up from the floor. But, she was quickly halted as she slammed headfirst into something sharp. It felt like she had run her forehead into the corner of something. Integra winced in pain as a warm liquid trickled slowly from her brow.

_Bloody hell!_ She quickly glanced up to see what, exactly, she had collided into. Integra inclined her head, and her eyes fell upon a long full length mirror. She most not have noticed it due to the heavy shadows plaguing that side of the room, but it was surely there upon further inspection. It was the same eerie mirror from her dream…

Integra heaved a heavy sigh as she took to her feet, and stood before the mirror. She eyed her blurry reflection to see that she was still dressed in the black suit she had remembered putting on before leaving. Her attire was now a little disheveled, to say the least. Her jacket had gone missing along with, more notably, her glasses. Integra's white dress shirt was now untucked and stained with spots of blood. Her eyes moved up from her attire to see something quite odd. Her hair was pulled back slightly out of her face. She had not, nor ever would, attend to her hair in such a manner.

Integra furrowed her brow slightly as she tried to recall who or what would have done that. Perhaps she had gone into hair and makeup before the conference? Integra cringed at the thought, even if she had made it to the conference she rather doubted that any amount of fast talking could have gotten her into that situation. But, besides the oddity of the style, itself, it reminded her of something or _someone_, rather. Without her glasses, and with her hair pulled back she looked reminiscent of the strange woman in her dream. The same eerie woman who threw herself out of that very window. Integra gave a quick passing glance over to the gap in the wall upon further thought, but quickly returned her gaze to the mirror. Something about the thought of committing suicide unsettled her.

_Well, if this is the type of chamber that he thought suitable for the lady of the house, no wonder she threw herself out the window._ Integra quipped wryly to herself, in a poor attempt to shove the thought of imminent death out of her head.

Integra, then, decided to see what it was that was holding her hair back. Perhaps, the style had more use then she originally given it credit. She shook her head forcefully, and quickly felt the response of something tugging at her hair. Perhaps, this too had something to do with her pounding headache? She immediately bent over letting her long blonde tresses fall forward, and she then shook her head again. Almost instantly, Integra could hear something fall upon the floor, and when she caught a glimpse of her hair from the corner of her eye, she could see a thin bobby pin pulling on a blond tress.

_One problem._ Integra thought with a sigh. _My hands are tied...behind my back._ She felt her heart sink at the thought. Integra kneeled down and sat slightly back. _One of the pins had fallen. I heard it. If only I could, _she thought with a small glimmering piece of hope as she felt around on the hard grimy floor. Her hands searched the floor frantically for the elusive pin, but Integra spotted from the corner of her eye the other pin fall down beside her bent leg. With a small sigh and an even smaller smile, Integra slowly turned and grasped the cold hair pin in her blood stained hand.

Immediately, she tore at the clip, trying to straighten it from it's bent form. This might be her fleeting chance at freedom. Quickly, Integra drew to her feet, and began to slowly pace and eye the walls in search for a door as she toyed with the bobby pin. She felt for the keyholes on both sides of her cuffs. Each of her wrists were captured by a thick metal shackle that was attached to a large metal chain. What was keeping them behind her back was the fact that the shackles were attached to each other by a short chain link. Her small wrists and hands made it easy for her to try to maneuver around the cuffs in search for the lock. Although, the cuffs, themselves, posed a problem for they would dig into her wrists if her movements were not careful.

Integra narrowed her eyes as she fitted the pin into one of the cuffs and tried to play at picking it. She moved slowly through the dank chamber room as she fiddled with the lock. She was trying to search through her own faulty vision and the thick shadows to find the door to the area.

Integra began to cross in front of the open window. A breeze wafted through the room and began to weave a spell upon her. There was something happening -- something foreboding was nigh upon the wind. Integra paused in front of the opening and glanced out. Like in her dream the window faced out upon the waters below. Integra glanced down, before feeling a sudden loss of balance as she stared into the hypnotic waters. She pulled herself back, and shuddered at the thought of falling. She began to wonder how long it would take for someone to notice she was missing. As much as she desired to know her men were searching for her, Integra could not help but wish against it. It was a trap. She knew that much. If it were not a trap then they would have killed her by now. They were weaving a web to ensnare someone into their trap, and she assumed the one they were after was Alucard. It had to be him. The tattoo found on the FREAK was that of his family's insignia. The symbol of a dragon with its wings open.

Integra shook the recollection away, and shoved it into the back of her mind. She thought – she knew – that she could take care of herself when it came down to it. She was, after all, a Hellsing…

Integra looked out into the darkened night to see a large full moon suspended brightly in the velvety sky. A flag waving on the side of the edifice caught her eye. It appeared black with some sort of white emblem on it. She could not rightly make it out due to her poor vision, and the fact that it was a good distance away. Integra's eyes returned their gaze to the moon. She felt apprehension mounting in her heart upon seeing how unrelenting the night was. There was no sign of daylight beginning to pierce through the dark ominous clouds that occupied the sky. She was not so self diluted – so foolish as to think that she could overcome the strength of a vampire unarmed and bound, but with the sun as her aid her hope grew in escaping unscathed by the enemy.

Integra began to move away from the window, and for some reason her thoughts reverted back to a story she had once read. In the story, there was a man who was put a way in a room. He was told that there was one way out of the area before he was abandoned. The man had tried everything humanly possible to escape, but to no avail. When the captors came back they informed him that the door had been unlocked the entire time.

Integra couldn't help but to think back on the tale as she looked for the door. She doubted the same was true for her, but she couldn't fight the idea to at least give it a try. Although, even if such were the case, the chains prevented her from any escape seeing as she rather doubted they were long enough to extend out of the edifice. And, the only other way she could see escaping once free of the shackles was through the window, but that, of course, would be her last alternative seeing as such a plan would result in sudden death at the hands of the treacherous waters below.

Integra eyed the dusty and creepy looking specimen of a bed to see if there were any covers that she could tie together in hopes of escaping, but even then that was still a leap of faith. She would not stand a chance even with linked sheets. She was up far too high.

Integra finally spotted the chamber door. It was veiled by shadow. Slowly, she crossed over to the door. All the while, she was making sure her grip on the pin was firm as she toyed with it inside of the lock. Holding the pin with one hand, Integra carefully backed up against the door and felt for the handle. Once she had it grasped in her hand, she pulled back, careful not to jar the pin out of her grasp, for she would play hell trying to find the small item in the sprawling shadows with hands behind back and slurred vision.

Integra pulled on the door – it didn't budge. Then, she attempted to push on the door – it still didn't budge. Integra figured it was not wise to push her luck, since the door seemed locked, and she did not want to risk dropping the clip. She pulled away, and began pacing to and fro, still trying to unlock the shackle on her left hand.

Concentrating on the lock, Integra thought she could feel the pin making its way to releasing the bind as she twisted it carefully. Just as she thought she had successfully picked the lock a sudden explosion pierced through the eerie silence, startling her. Integra's hands tensed and lost her place as a sudden flow of adrenaline flooded through her veins. She just barely caught the pin before it fell from her grasp. She cringed at the thought of nearly dropping it, and clutched the small clip tightly in her hand. A sigh of relief poured from her mouth as she could feel her heart beat rapidly in her chest. Integra fitted the pin back into the lock, and began her endeavor all over again, all the while crossing the room to see what chaos was ensuing outside.

She could not see the cause of the commotion, but she immediately took notice that the flag was no longer waving proudly, instead she could see something else was being positioned where the banner had once been. Tilting her head in faint interest, Integra tried hard to focus her eyes. And, as the new banner unfurled she looked out in wide eyed shock. While she might not have been able to make out the insignia on the last flag, she could clearly see her family's coat of arms on this one. The corners of her lips curved up into a sly smile at the revelation, and more to her pleasure Integra could hear a small clicking sound as she felt the left cuff fall loose. Immediately, she caught it before it fell, and was about to bring her hands to the front of her, but was halted with a sound that made her blood run cold. It was the sound of the chamber door opening. Afraid of being exposed, Integra quickly threw her arms behind her back and looped a piece of the linked chain around her free hand -- to look as if though she was still fully bound. She turned to face a tall looming figure standing in the doorway.

"I am afraid, Miss Hellsing, that your usefulness has expired," a voice with a thick accent fell heavily upon the room. The man slammed the door behind him as he forcefully began to near Integra.

"I believe I will be enjoying this," his voice mirrored the same familiar sadistic nature that Integra was all too use to hearing.

"So will I," she agreed with a stern composed voice as she fitted the pin into the right cuff and began to fiddle with it inconspicuously behind her back.

--

"Find Sir Integra!" Walter exclaimed to Alucard over the roars of gun shots and cries from the ghouls.

Alucard glanced over at the retainer with a blank unamused stare as but to say 'what do you think I'm trying to do?' He turned his focus back to the ensuing battle at hand, and quickly overlooked the hordes of expendable zombies. His attention drew to the decaying castle. More specifically, his eyes were fixed on the looming window facing the river. He could sense his master was nearby, and he knew that there in that room overlooking the water was where she was being kept. It was just too simple, save for the endless amounts of undead leading up to the edifice. They would be easy to quickly dispatch, it was just – among the throngs of mindless ghouls he could sense something familiar, something a little more 'entertaining' ahead. In fact, the very use of shape-shifting proved to him that there was something a little more then the average fraud…

Just as soon as Seras had made a break in the line of ghouls, she quickly ran up before the clearing closed. To her delight she spotted a sure fire route to run in order to make it to the castle, and just as she was about to pursue the path she was brought to a dead halt. As she gazed up to see what new devilry needed to be put to waste, she found that she had a little more on her hands then the ghouls. A tall thin woman with scarlet hair and red eyes stood scantly clad, holding a long black whip in her gloved hands. She lifted a well plucked brow, vaguely amused by Seras. Seras, however, did not return her new adversary's interest, as she rolled her eyes and heaved a frustrated sigh at the hindrance that the female vampire posed.

Meanwhile, Walter and Alucard had made swift use of the surrounding zombies, which seemed to be endlessly pouring in from around the castle grounds. Just as Alucard thought it time to make his 'entrance' into the edifice, his unnatural efforts were hindered, for all was not what it seemed as a menacing presence befell him.

"And, you?" Alucard asked, half-intrigued, half-annoyed at the new force that had come out to greet them.

"The War Admiral," he replied with a dark fell voice. He stood brandishing a massive blade, and was fitted with dark heavy armor that resonated in a shadowy aura. Alucard sighed at the battle invitation, and while he would have usually jumped at the opportunity for the fun, he could sense there was a more foreboding presence nearby, presumably in the castle itself. He knew this familiar presence was the more formidable of the foes, and he knew that there was a steady countdown until his master was disposed of by this vampire.

"I see. So I'm going to have to go through _you_ in order to get in _there. I_s that how it is?" he asked dryly, intrigued. Quickly, he aimed his weapons at the tall mound of metal armored monster that stood before him.

He figured his guns would make swift use of the undead. Alucard quickly fired a round from each of his weapons before noticing, in amazement, that the blessed bullets barely dented the armor.

"Walter," he called out a little annoyed. "I'm requesting an upgrade when we get back," he said over his shoulder, swiftly returning his attention to his foe.

"That is _if_ _we_ get back," the butler corrected sarcastically.

Just as Alucard managed to halfheartedly dodge an oncoming swing from his adversary, he returned his gaze back up at the tower window, and just as he did he could feel his eyes widen in disbelief. A figure wrapped in chains came crashing out of the window and fell into the torrid waters below. Alucard was immediately plagued by an overwhelming sense of déjà vu as he felt a familiar presence slowly fade away -- the same kind of feeling he had experienced before – the waning vitality of someone he had known many long years ago.

Quickly, he turned to face his opponent, but as he stood upon the battlefield the strangest event had just occurred without him knowing. The oddity had all of the dispatched members of Hellsing glancing around baffled.


	7. Death March

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**

I do not own the rights to Hellsing.

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**- 6 -**

**Death March**

Integra's eyes widen once her captor stepped out from the blackened shade of nightfall, and into the pale radiance of the moonlight. The light pierced through the shadows, illuminating his sharp pale features and exposing his ornate vestments and a scabbard equipped with a sword hanging from his belt . Once the veil of twilight had been completely lifted, he continued towards her. His tall lanky body cast a shroud of darkness upon her face. Integra looked upon him in shock. She was stunned at how similar he looked to Alucard.

"Who are you?" She questioned sternly. Her voice did not betray her, for it remained composed and forceful. But, the strange man did not answer as he continued to stalk towards her, like she was his prey.

Integra grew annoyed by his slow taunting footfalls, and took a step forward, proving that he, by no means, was intimidating her. "I demand to know who you are, and who's orders sent you here." she spat in a sharp clipped voice.

The man seemed unaffected by her questions as he neared her, stopping only once his body was directly looming over hers. A wide smile painted his pale lips, exposing his sharp pearly fangs. His wild rose colored eyes burned into her skin as he bowed his head to get a better look at her. To his dissatisfaction, he was not met by pleas for life, or the savory sound of a quickening heart. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and defiantly glared back at him. All the while, she was still concentrating on picking the lock to her right cuff.

He gave a slight chuckle at her unwavering bravado and leaned in closer to her. He placed an icy cold hand upon her face as he stared deep into her eyes. Slowly, his long pale index finger traced over the wound above her brow, feeling blood warm his cool skin.

Integra's body tensed with unbridled anger, and her jaws clenched in pure disgust as she tore away from his grasp, making sure he never left her sight. The vampire lifted a brow amused by her reaction, but shortly thereafter turned his attention to his crimson stained index finger, placing it to his mouth. His eyes glared over at her, expressing that he took delight in the taste of her blood.

Integra winced and staggered backwards feeling her chest heave and her throat tighten in response to her urge to retch. She tried to collect herself as she glanced back up at the demon that stood before her. He smiled wickedly at her sour features, and stalked closer.

"I," he began, a raspy hiss climbed up the back of his throat and escaped through his mouth, "will take delight in enslaving you." A maniacal gleam radiated from his wild eyes.

Integra nearly choked out a chuckle at the audacity of his words. She stood from her bent position and held his gaze as she toyed with the lock. She felt her heart stop cold and sink when she heard a 'click'. The pin she was toying with had slipped from her grasp and landed on the floor behind her. Her eyes widened in a bitter shock, at the realization that her chance of escaping was now waning. Quickly, she fixed her gaze upon the sword sheathed at his belt. This was the only weapon that was readily accessible to her, and even at that it was not going to be easy to access from its position on the very thing that was hunting her.

Integra's thoughts were racing for an answer as to what she could do. How she could rightly defend herself? The monster drew closer to her, and she clenched her jaws tightly as her mind narrowed to the only defense she had – her chains. Integra untwisted the looping links from around her left hand, which had held it steady behind her back. She had originally done this as a means to ensure that he would not notice that she was partially free. As soon as her left hand escaped from the metallic bonds, she quickly pulled the chains up behind her. She made sure to collect a sufficient amount of the line, so in case of a struggle her connected right arm could be free for as long as it took to try and make a go at retrieving the sword. She had managed to pluck Alucard's prized weapons from right underneath his nose, perhaps she had a chance at doing the same with this new villain. It was a long shot. Integra knew this much, but at the moment it was the only shot that she could think of taking.

As soon as he stood within reach of the amount of chain length she had managed to collect, Integra immediately threw the chains up, making sure they looped around his neck. She forcefully yanked at the links with all of her might in the faint hope of knocking him off kilter, but to no avail. He stood stunned at her nerve to try and ensnare him in her own bonds. In a maddened rage at her attempt to entrap him, the monster instantly, within the bat of an eye, grasped a hold of the chain that led from his neck to her arm, and flung it with ferocious might and strength. The force sent Integra colliding into a wall, as if she were but a rag doll. His forceful tear had freed the twin chains from their bolted position.

Integra had met the wall, and had fallen to the hard ground in one fell swoop. Just as unconsciousness was about to subdue her mind into darkness, she found her determination and fought against it. Integra was also fighting for air. The collision had knocked the breath right out of her lungs, and she gasped in an eerie silence. Once she had managed to fill her lungs with oxygen, Integra was immediately plagued with the pain shooting up from her right arm as it throbbed uncontrollably. She was relieved and half amazed that her appendage had not been ripped clean off her body with the force that had been used to send her flying. However, she could feel that it had been crushed and dislocated upon impact. In fact, her whole right side from her jaw down to her ankle ached bitterly, for this had been the side of her body that had met the wall with the most force. Blood soaked her mouth and drained slowly down her throat. Integra shuddered at the feeling of digesting her own blood, and coughed releasing the warm substance from her mouth. Her eyes beheld the gory scene before her.

Determined to fight, she tried to pull herself up from the floor, placing the sharp stabbing pain out of her mind. Her body, however, buckled underneath her efforts. It was too weak to sustain her weight, for it shook bitterly and suffered muscle spasms from the trauma of the blow. But, she was too stubborn, and the adrenaline pumping through her veins gave her enough energy and will to try again.

The vampire gazed bitterly upon her collapsed body as he tore at the chains that had come undone from the wall. He pulled the broken ends up and snapped them forcefully against Integra as she began to rise from the floor. She returned this action with a cry of pain, as the hard metallic chains crashed down upon her back with might, causing her to meet the floor once more. He flung the twin chains against her again and again until Integra thought she would surely pass out from all of the pain.

The right side of her face was pressed firmly against the cold grimy floor. Her mouth was gapped open as she heaved in agony. Her eyes looked on to see her warm blood escaping from her lips, flooding the floor in a crimson river. Integra struggled bitterly against the darkness that was beginning to caress her thoughts. She just barely managed to pull away from the eerie lullaby. Her sheer determination assured that if she were to die that night she would go down with a fight – not in a state of secured unconsciousness.

Once she felt the chained strikes subside, Integra glanced up to see where her opponent had gone to. He grew bored with the attacks, and his mind narrowed to a new form of devilry. He grasped a firm hold on the chains linking to her right arm, and he quickly snatched at them with a detached motion, until she felt her body slowly slide against the ground. She felt like a dog being yanked around on a leash. No amount of struggling was going to pull her free. But, as he yanked upwards on the chains, the force sent her up on her knees. Integra almost fought back a smile, for he was doing for her what her body had refused. She knew if she could find enough motivation or momentum, she could stand.

She could see his red eyes glaring at her wildly, taking sadistic delight in watching her suffer, watching her body spill the precious red substance that sustained it as he slowly dragged her to her doom. The doom that would bring him so much pleasure.

All Integra could think about was standing. Her eyes stared upon his sword or the bright flicker of the ring that was fitted to his third finger. For some reason or another, the gleaming piece of jewelry kept catching her eye as it shimmered in the moonlight. Before she had realized it, she was almost at his feet, and with a sharp sudden pull on the chain she found enough force to aid her in standing. Once she felt her feet set firmly upon the ground, she was determined not to fall unless her own death brought her down.

"Men, humans, are so pathetic. So weak," his dark raspy voice hissed as he pulled her close. He could smell her blood, and was excited that he would finally take pleasure in tasting the warm vitality that ran through her veins. His game of taunting and toying with her had brought him more amusement then he had originally thought. "You will not know the pleasure it will bring to me to hear you call me 'Master'," he said with a small chuckle as he forced her closer to him.

Integra cringed at the smell of decay upon his lips. "They say that only a man can kill a monster," she growled, staring harshly into his eyes.

The vampire released a heavy chuckle at her words, and his lips drew into a wide smile. "Lucky for me, you are _only_ a woman," he replied.

Integra felt her heart pulsate heavily within her chest as an adrenaline induced rage overcame her. In that instant, any mortal pain or fear melted away as she swiftly apprehended the sword and drew it from his sheath. "You are right, I am no _mere_ man!" she hissed with venom before wielding the blade around with as much strength as she could muster. And, with the sudden burst of energy, she claimed his head from its place on his neck. Just as the body began to fall, it quickly melted into ash, which poured onto the floor, leaving only the attire once worn by the vampire scattered upon the ground.

Immediately, Integra collapsed after the vampire released pressure on the chains. She fell stricken and shaken as her chest heaved heavily for air. Once she had managed to calm her wounded body, a sigh of relief escaped her mouth. Her heart fill with a joyous victory, relieving any mortal pain for a brief fleeting moment.

She glanced over at the vestments once worn by the demon, and reached for them. Once she had the mound of clothes, Integra scattered through the garments until she heard a metallic ringing. She gave a small smile as a ring of keys fell from the fabric and landed beside her on the floor. She managed to lift herself up into a sitting position, and went through each the keys to find which one fit into the lock of the shackle. Once she had undone the cuff, Integra threw the chains linking to her hands down upon the pile of ashes and clothes and moved to stand grasping for, once again, the sword. Upon returning to her feet, Integra felt her body sway underneath her. But, she managed to keep to her balance as she staggered across the floor, moving towards the large chamber door. Once she had made it to the door, she pulled back on the handle it to find it was unlocked. Just before she crossed the threshold a thought came crashing down upon her mind.

_There had been no FREAK chip. _Integra furrowed her brows in thought and glanced back at the mound of ashes. _Did that mean that he was a real undead?_ she questioned to herself. Just at the thought of him being possibly a real vampire, she stopped in cold horror.

_What would your ancestors think about you?_ Integra asked herself as she shook her head in dismay at her forgetfulness. _I have to scatter the remains. _Integra knew the practice had been long forgotten by her organization, and an exercise in redundancy. But, she wanted to ensure that she would never have to suffer through _that_ trial again.

She released a sigh and crossed the room. Integra could feel her body throb violently as she bent down and placed the sword, firmly gripped in her left hand, down so she could easily sweep the ashes and the clothes up, along with the chains. _Not exactly a crossroads, but it should do, _she mused before tossing the large bundle out of the window.

Integra slowly turned. Her face was stained with pain as she began to carry herself back to the door. Just as she was crossing the room again, she heaved a heavy sigh at having to bend down to pick up the sword she had discarded for the remains. Integra wondered how much longer she could keep moving without finally succumbing to the black unconsciousness that was beginning to creep its way back into her thoughts. She imagined the endorphin rush that accompanied her victory would provide her enough motivation to get safely outside of the castle. Integra bent to pick up the sword, as she did so her body cried out in response. Immediately, upon reaching for the hilt of the blade, her eyes fell upon something flickering on the floor. Integra heaved a sigh as curiosity got the better of her. She moved towards the item and glanced down to see that it was the ring that the vampire had been wearing during their struggle. When she tore at the clothes to search for the keys, she must have displaced the ring from the pile. Integra eyed the piece of jewelry and decided to reach for it. Once the token was secure in her hand, she glanced at it to find there was a symbol etched into the metal, but time had taken its toll on the piece and the carving was too faded to make it out. She turned the ring around to see if it bore any inscription on the back. Much to her surprise, even in the poor lighting and her blurred vision, she could make out the deep chiseled letters etched into the metal.

"'Danesti,'" she read, a little puzzled by the name. It sounded vaguely familiar, yet she drew a blank as to why she thought she recognized the word.

Integra clenched the ring in her left hand along with the hilt of the sword, and slowly began to stand. She immediately felt her body shrink down under the pain of the injuries. She was beginning to feel her jaw swell, along with her wrists and a good deal of her right side, especially her arm. She managed to pick herself up and trudge slowly across the room, wondering how much more energy she had to spare before she finally collapsed.

Integra took one final look back before she passed over the threshold to the room. "Checkmate," she muttered to herself under her breath.

---

Seras winced in pain upon feeling the vampire's whip sharply tear into her flesh, and wind its way around her neck. She was not quite sure of the reason that had landed her in this position, for it had happened all so suddenly. Seras struggled under the enemy's devices, but to no avail. The whip was unrelenting as she felt herself being dragged slowly towards her adversary. During her struggle, Seras had only successfully managed to loosen her grip on her weapon, much to her chagrin. Her thoughts were now bent on how she could utilize her bulky Harkonnen considering the given situation.

Just as the female vampire had dragged her within arms reach, Seras's eyes widened at the strange sight that befell her. Instead of striking Seras at so close of a range, the female opponent's face drew into a stricken expression. Her eyes grew wide, and she gave a piercing scream of agony. Seras narrowed her eyes confused by the spectacle. She could not see the cause of the vampire's distress, but she thought better of her situation. Once the weird woman began sending a piercing howl of misery through the air, Seras tightened her grip on her weapon. And, with as much might as she could managed, she wielded the Harkonnen around and struck it heavily against her opponent's head. The powerful impact not only sent the female vampire flying backwards, but her head was knocked clean off of her body.

Seras gazed down in wide eyed wonder before giving a passing glance to her Harkonnen. She lifted a brow in amazement at how easy her conquest had been. Just as a sigh of relief was pouring from her lips, Seras saw something, from the corner of her eye, making a descent down into the river. She instinctively turned her attention to the castle window that was overlooking the water. Seras found that her eyes had arrived too late to capture what exactly had fallen from the window, but she felt an overwhelming sense of worriment plague her heart.

_Sir Hellsing?_ her thoughts cried as her brows knitted in concern. She immediately returned her gaze to the battlefield to see, much to her surprise, the swarms of undead had been laid to waste.

_That's odd_, Seras thought to herself in disbelief as she panned the area. _There were just swarms of them just moments ago_. But, all she could see still moving around on the castle grounds were the men dispatched from Hellsing, who all shared in her confusion. Seras shook her head and immediately began her way towards the castle entrance.

Both Walter and Alucard exchanged glances once the field of battle was met with an eerie quiet. No gunshots rang out, no screams, or moans could be heard. The entire event had all been brought to a quick and unsettling halt.

Alucard eyed the mound of armor that for no apparent reason had scattered before him. "A possessed suit of arms?" he muttered under his breath before quickly turning his attention up to the castle entrance. Satisfaction painted his face once he beheld the dilapidated domains.

"An extension of the enemy's arm from within, perhaps?" Walter offered baffled as he stared down at the once animated armor. "Integra -" he began with concern as he snatched his gaze up to the castle.

"Where's Sir Integra?" Seras asked with a panicked voice as she ran up to meet both Alucard and Walter. "Did she fall?" But, her questions were met only with silence, for both the retainer's and Alucard's attention were turned towards the entrance. Seras rushed up and was about to repeat herself before she was stopped with relief.

"We came to your rescue," Alucard quipped as a sadistic grin carved its way upon his lips.

Integra staggered down the stairs. Using her sword as a walking aide, she trudged along at a sluggish pace. She looked as if she had just been coughed up from the bowels of death, itself, as she continued forward. Her face was stained with blood, and her long blond hair was matted and scattered with thin tresses clinging to her face. Even her white dress shirt was stiffened with dried blood, and appeared both distressed and unkempt. She had not noticed the threesome at first, for her eyes were plastered to the ground, and her mind concentrating on moving forward. But, once she heard her servant's wry remark, her thoughts were broken. She glanced ahead at the three standing at the bottom of the stairs, and immediately a sense of duty overtook her. She could not allow her men to see her in such distress, especially the _vampire_. Blocking out the bitter pain emanating from her wounds, she managed to collect herself, and immediately straightened her posture.

Integra gave a sarcastic chuckle at Alucard's comment. "Not even from boredom, did you rescue me," she remarked, brow lifted. "In fact, I'd say by the looks of things I 'rescued' _you_," she added with a satisfied grin. She continued down the steps.

Slightly amused by her comment, Alucard looked down at her with his mouth gapped open readying itself for speech. His eyes passing over hers, as she stared upon him with defiance. "Did I mention that you look simply _delicious_?" he asked sadistically.

Integra opened her mouth in disgust as her piercing blue eyes narrowed into a cold icy stare, expressing that she by no means took his remark as a compliment.

"How are you feeling?" Walter asked, his voice dripping with concern. "We need to take you to –"

"It is only a few minor wounds," Integra stated forcefully. She could not help but wince at the lie that had just parted her lips.

"I thought, at first, that it was you that fell from the tower window," Seras chirped from her position beside Alucard.

"No, it was the –"

"Vampire's remains?" Alucard asked, cutting Integra off.

"So, after you had slain the vampire, all of the underlings diminished," Walter stated vexed. "Thus the possessed suit of arms falling. It must have been a decoy to distract Alucard from your plight."

"I suppose-" Integra began once more, only to be cut off mid breath.

"But, I thought that the ghouls made by the FREAKS could live on even if their sire had perished," Seras began, confused.

"Perhaps, the vampire was no fraud," Integra offered, gazing back and forth between Seras, Alucard and Walter.

Alucard frowned upon hearing her suggestion. "And perhaps it was just a weak FREAK."

Integra could not help but give a small smile at his expression. Just as she was about to speak, she felt something cold and wet fall against her wounded brow. Instinctively, she glanced upwards to find that just as the bright rays of morning light were about to pierce through the night. The sky was overtaken by a mass of darkened storm clouds.

"A rain to wash the earth clean," Integra stated softly to herself. She much doubted that she could keep her façade of physical stability up. Integra could feel her body was beginning to slightly weave to and fro, and her already poor vision was becoming slurred with darkness.

"Fitting place for the squall line to be," Alucard remarked, glancing up at the oncoming storm. Before Integra even had a chance to waver, he effortlessly placed an arm out to catch her as she predictably swayed off kilter, dropping both her sword and ring to the ground. With ease he fluidly picked her up into his arms, and glanced down with a satisfied expression. His eyes watched on as the rain slowly streamed down her face, cleansing the stains from her angelic features as she faded into a peaceful slumber.

"And, so he _saves_ the princess," Alucard said wickedly, referring to her prior denial of being rescued. The corners of his mouth curled up into a wide sadistic grin.

"We need to get her treatment," Walter stated dryly.

The three turned to leave, but it was Walter's old tired eyes that abruptly caught a glimpse of something flickering where the sword had fallen. Slowly, he bent down and examined that, strangely, a ring had dropped from Integra's grasp. He picked the piece of jewelry up from the ground, and adjusted his monocle. He carefully turned it around, to inspect the carved inscription on the back. Upon examining it, he gave a perceptive smile before pocketing the "evidence".


	8. Epilogue

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I do not own the rights to Hellsing.

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**Epilogue **

A few weeks had passed since the entire "incident" had occurred. Integra had come out alive, only suffering from a "few minor wounds". In other words, she had broken everything from her right arm, which she now kept in a sling, to her ribs to some of her teeth and a few other bones along the way. Integra cringed upon recalling the events of weeks past, as she crossed over the threshold to her bedroom. Her able hand clasped thin manila folder containing what she considered to be "reading material" to help get her to sleep.

"Blast it," Integra whispered softly as she turned to close the bedroom door behind her. She shut her eyelids tightly, and shook her head at her forgetfulness. She was immediately plagued with the realization that the item, the strange ring she had obtained in Romania, was missing from her "reading material". Integra exhaled heavily and turned to step further into her chambers only to place the documents down before moving to the bedroom door.

A little annoyed at herself for forgetting what she had originally wanted to look at before retiring to bed, Integra moved out of her room and into the hallway. Once she had made her way down the hallway and to the office door, she ripped at the handle and shoved the door open in one swift movement. Instinctively, she flipped on the light switch to dispel the thick shadows of nightfall, and made her way towards her desk, forgetting to shut the door behind her.

She poured over the mahogany top to see her papers and documents were neatly laid out in order of importance for the next morning, but the ring was not where it was suppose to have been. Integra was shocked to find that in place of the piece of jewelry there was a long brown box. The box was very much akin to the delivery packages that had gifted her the pawns and the pocket watch. Integra narrowed her eyes. She was perplexed as to how the parcel had gotten there without her knowing. Walter would not just idly place a package on her desk without first notifying her.

She furrowed her brows in thought, a little hesitant to open it. She quickly shrugged off her apprehension, and pulled the parcel closer. She kept it situated on her desk, for her right arm was resting in a sling, and she much doubted that she could balance the odd sized package well enough to open it.

Integra tilted her head as she slowly turned the box, allowing her eyes to carefully inspect all sides of the package. But, like all of the other brown parcels, it bore no sign to indicate the sender. Integra clenched her jaw before finally deciding to tear it open. Once she had discarded the wrapping and had pulled off the top to the long rectangular shaped box, Integra was met with stiff white tissue paper.

_Odd, _she thought to herself before folding the paper back. Immediately, upon looking down at the item fitted into the box, Integra could feel her cheeks heat and her heart thump forcefully against her chest. The box contained a black leather riding whip and a little white card which bore a message written in red ink: "_Your lesson, Master?" _

"Alucard!" she growled loudly, balling her left hand into a fist.


End file.
